Thank you, I love you too

For any sport to survive, it needs a group of people willing to play it. But for it to thrive, it also needs a larger group of people willing to watch it. Sportspersons appreciate the investment supporters put into following their games and try to return the affection by giving time (and selfies) to the fans whenever possible.

Above, Ian Botham gets some love (and possibly a swig of beer?) from a fan during his 103 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 1983.

Some crowds aren't so easy to get through. An angry Shahid Afridi (in the red T-shirt) had to hit and punch his way through a scrum of fans waiting to greet him and other Pakistan players at the airport in Karachi on their return from a victorious Asia Cup campaign in Bangladesh. "There was no security for players and it's usual that fans come and seek autographs, but this time they were out of control and hurt my daughter, on which I lost my temper," Afridi said later, apologising for hurting some fans during the incident.

Sometimes the fans attack you. In the final Test of the 1970-71 Ashes, at the SCG, after Terry Jenner was injured while ducking into a bouncer from John Snow, the bowler was warned by the umpire for intimidatory bowling and walked to field at the boundary in a huff, where a drunken spectator grabbed his arm and tried to slap him before being pulled away by those around him.

The traditional way of interacting with a player when you met them was to get their signature, like these fans do with Denis Compton, in an autograph diary or a playing schedule or simply on a scrap of paper.

Justin Langer gets a larger surface area to scrawl on, at the MCG in 2002. After making 250 in the Ashes Test there, Langer lashed out at the England fans for shouting "no-ball" when Brett Lee was bowling, alleging he was chucking to generate pace. "These people stand behind a fence drinking beer with most of them 50 kilos overweight making ridiculous comments," Langer said. "It's easy for someone to say that from behind a fence, they're within their rights because they've paid their money, but there's still some integrity in life, I think." Still, after the game he took the time to sign autographs for them.

A photograph, an autograph, a friendly greeting, a chat - all that's fine, but is there anything as lovely as being offered a cuppa by a cricketer (even if it's at a sponsor's event)? Mike Gatting serves up the beverage synonymous with the game to fans at The Oval, 2013.